Midsummer Night's Dream
by the amyrlin seat
Summary: Egwene finds herself trapped in Rand’s dream. She soon realizes that he still sees her as the Egwene he grew up with. How does this revelation affect their present situation? And more importantly, their future? EgweneXRand


A/n: I love Egwene, and there aren't enough stories about her. Especially about Egwene and Rand! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Now on to the story!

Midsummer Night's Dream

By The Amyrlin Seat

Egwene floated between tel'aran'rhiod, and the waking world, a vast darkness surrounding her. twinkling pinpricks of light that stretched far beyond her awareness passed in front of her shapeless form. The dreams of all the people in the world resided here, and even the dreams of people in other worlds. Egwene had speculated that she might be able to see into other worlds from tel'aran'rhiod, and the wise ones confirmed her theory. She had glimpsed some of those other worlds, finding things she could hardly believe. But she was not here to explore tonight. Well, not originally, but she'd completed her task, and the rest of the night was all hers.

She had been instructed to find the dreams of the wise one Amys, and she had done so successfully. They'd celebrated over a cup of tea in the dream, but now Egwene was tired. She'd been made to run 50 laps around the wise one camp in ruidian for "tardiness". She supposed it wasn't that bad. She was getting use to the waste; now searing heat during the day, and freezing air during the night no longer bothered her … too much. She laughed as she thought of it, or would have if she possessed an actual body. She should go to sleep, she knew she should, but there was still one person's dreams she wanted to find.

She looked among the closest lights, searching for what seemed like hours, but in tel'aran'rhiod, you never could tell. Time flowed so differently from the waking world. At last, she caught a glimpse of him.

_Rand … I knew I'd find you if I only kept searching!_ She thought, moving closer. She thought she saw the light beginning to move toward her, making her back away.

There was something wrong here. She couldn't see into his dreams. It's like he was shielding them somehow, but where could he have learned something like that? The light continued to move in her direction, but at the same moment, Egwene also moved toward it, inspecting the shield, trying to find away to break through. She tried to find some small opening she might use to see inside, but there was nothing. It was … like a wall of nothing. Suddenly, there was a white light, pulling her, absorbing her.

In her mind, Egwene screamed, trying uselessly to escape. She felt immense pain overwhelming her as she passed through the shield. How it burned! Her skin felt as if fire engulfed her entire being, as if a thousand needles were being pressed deep into her. It lasted only seconds, but to Egwene, it felt as if a lifetime of pain had compressed itself into those few moments.

When the pain finally stopped, she found herself on a riverbank. There was soft grass under her feet, leather leaf bushes all around her, and the blue sky above. It was night time, the moon hanging overhead. "Is this … Emond's Field? It looks like the waterwood Rand and I played in as children…" She said softly, walking toward the river. As she reached the edge, she heard giggling. A boy, about 20 or so, blue grey eyes sparkling, looked up from teaching two girls to swim. _Light! That's Elayne and Aviendha!_ She blushed, and so did the boy.

"E-e-Egwene?" He stammered. She was quite ready to lift him with the power and paddle his bottom for having such dreams. _The nerve of that man! Having dreams like this, and not just Elayne, but Aviendha too? Men were such … such … wool heads! Being the dragon reborn does not, not, give him the right to be a Letcher!_ Although Rand had seen her, Elayne and Aviendha didn't. She looked again, but they were gone. They were alone, in their childhood place. It occurred to her to look down at her attire, finding stout Two River's woolens , a pair of stout shoes to match, and her hair was braided? _This is how Rand sees me?_ She was surprised, to say the least. _I thought maybe he saw a wise one pupil, or an Aes Sedai of some sort._

How familiar this all felt, but it was different now. He'd said he didn't love her, she'd said she didn't love him, but was it really true? Being in this place together, seeing him as the boy he once was, she wasn't sure. Everything that had happened since leaving the Two Rivers, she could almost pretend it was a dream. In fact, she wanted to. _It couldn't hurt, right? It's only a dream. Besides, I can't leave even if I wanted to. I can't say I want to repeat the experience of passing through that shield._

Rand jumped out of the river, running toward her with a smile. It seemed he too had decided to pretend nothing had changed, but why?!

"Since you're here, why don't you come for a swim?"

Egwene had full mastery of herself. It was hard, but she managed it. If she lost control of herself for even a moment, she'd melt into the Egwene of his dream. She would be nothing more than a puppet whose strings he held in his hand. If she wanted, she could say no. She could still walk away from him, but did she want to? Egwene nodded, smiling at Rand. She was blushing, her eyes falling on his unclothed form. She turned away quickly, beginning to undress. Was he watching? She peeked from the corner of her eye, and had to admit she was a little disappointed.

_Not like I wanted him to anyway. If he'd been watching, I would have gotten angry, wouldn't I? What's wrong with me? I don't love him! I don't!_

He took her hand, leading her into the water. She shivered a little as her skin touched the cool water, and he laughed.

"It's … been along time." He said, the sadness showing through in his eyes, in his voice. Egwene tried to smile, letting the gentle current carry her along.

"It has. I miss times like these."

"Aren't you happy Egwene?"

"I am, but Rand, a girl can't help missing the place where she grew up."

"I suppose not."

They were silent for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of the water, the other's calming presence. But all the while, they avoided each other's eyes. So many questions, but she lacked the courage to ask. She supposed it was the same for him.

Just as the silence began to press on her, Rand came closer. There was … something in his eyes. With a jolt, she realized what it was. He reached out a hand, and Egwene took it, a little hesitantly.

She sighed as he pulled her into his embrace, kissing her gently. She returned Rand's kiss, her mouth welcoming his. She looked up into his gaze, melting into him. He stopped suddenly, holding her a little tighter.

"Egwene, I'm … sorry. Is this what you want? You can go if you'd like. I've been acting like a-"

She cut him off with another kiss, wrapping her arms around him. _What a flaming wool head! If I didn't want to, I would have said no long before now._

"Don't talk Rand. Just hold me. Just love me. For once, forget the bloody dragon, forget the flaming tower. It's me, Egwene, the girl you grew up with. The one you'll marry someday." She said between kisses. In response, he moaned softly into her mouth, their kisses becoming more fevered with each passing moment. His hands explored her body, memorizing it the way a lover would, his lips on her neck. She moaned, twining herself around him. He pulled her closer still, entering her slowly. She cried out, only holding him tighter. Rand was gentle with her, passionate, … and even loving. They made love there in the water, underneath the vast open sky, with only the moon to see. How she loved him then, never knowing till that moment how long she'd waited. It was a truly beautiful thing. He was beautiful to her, his blue grey eyes shining with affection. So there was still something there, he hadn't completely forgotten her. It overjoyed her to know, and now ... they'd share something special. No matter who he was with after this, she'd know she was his first, if only in a dream. She couldn't love The Dragon Reborn, but a part of her still loved the man he had been.

When they were both spent, she collapsed into his arms, laying her head on his shoulder. Rand kissed her tenderly, holding her tight against him, swimming toward shore. He put her down gently on the river bank, reaching for his clothes to dress himself. She looked at him for a moment before doing the same.

When they were dressed, she sat beside him.

"Rand … do you … regret it?"

He lay down in the soft grass, pulling her down beside him.

"Only if you do." He said, smiling.

"I don't."

"Then neither do I."

He put an arm around her, her head pillowed on his chest. _He's so warm, so …warm._ _It's like coming home._ Her last thought before slumber overtook her.

Rand watched his childhood friend, and lover, sink into sleep, a small smile playing on his lips. His body felt good. She was perfect, they fit perfectly together, but he knew that it wasn't meant to be. He remembered Min saying that, what seemed along time ago, yet like it was yesterday.

"She's not meant for you. At least, not in the way you both want."

Those words played in his head, over and over again. He knew now that it was true, but looking down at her sleeping form, he could almost forget it.

_Is it because I'm the flaming dragon? Is that why we can't be together? Being angry isn't going to change the facts. Besides, it's better for her. If she loved me, she'd get hurt, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I can't allow anyone to get that close. It's because I love you, Egwene. I know you understand. At least, I hope so._

When they woke, nothing would have changed. Well, something would have, but nothing either of them would ever admit to. They each had their own reasons. Rand's was that he wanted to protect Egwene. Egwene's? That she had already given him to Elayne. She loved him as a friend, and maybe something more, but that was a secret she would never admit to anyone. In time, she'd learn to hide it even from herself. As the memory slowly began to fade, so would her feelings for Rand. But the impression would remain, A feeling of something just out of reach, a passing thought, a look, the brush of his lips against hers, but nothing more. It would be the same for him, and it was okay. It was time to move on. He had Elayne, and she had... well, she'd find love too. She knew she would. But for now, she was in his arms, tomorrow was something to worry about … well, tomorrow. Egwene sleepily moved a little closer to Rand, his arm instinctively tightening around her. Her lips quirked in a smile as she wondered, _will he remember this dream in the morning?_ She sure flaming well would.


End file.
